A Birthday To Remember
by Hokuto Uchiha
Summary: Part 3 of the "X-Over Adventures in NYC" series. Arslan is dismayed after hearing his parents won't be home for his birthday. The turtles find out, and plan to throw their friend an awesome birthday party! Also posted on my AO3 account, Princess Shireen.
1. Chapter 1

A couple days had passed since the Slender Man incident. Everyone still felt uncomfortable playing the game, but were slowly getting better, considering.

On one of the upper floors of Ecbatana Apartments, Arslan stood in his kitchen, talking on the phone.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed. He crossed over to the fridge, opened it, and took out a Capri Sun drink pouch. He kicked the door shut, then got back to his conversation. " _Seriously?_ Over a few jokes?!" He sighed and poked the dark yellow straw through the drink pouch. "Jesus H. Christ! What the heck's wrong with him?!" He flinched, as if being yelled at, and said, "Sorry, Mom. I shouldn't have said that. I know, I know that's not like me at all. I'm sorry. It's just...Well, I was really hoping you guys would be home today. When do you think you'll be back?" He frowned, and his voice took on a disappointed tone. "Oh. Okay. Maybe we can do something when you get back. Okay. Tell Dad I miss him. Love you. Bye." He hung up, then picked up his Capri Sun and walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He sat down on the couch, sulking and very quickly draining the contents of his drink.

Shireen, who had already been sitting on the couch and watching an episode of _Cops_ , saw that Arslan didn't look too happy. Concerned, she turned her attention away from the TV and asked her brother what was wrong.

"Mom and Dad are staying longer," Arslan replied sadly.

"What? But why?" Shireen asked. "Don't they know it's your birthday?"

"They know," said Arslan. "But apparently, two days ago, Dad overreacted to a comedian making jokes about him looking demonic-you know, like we do. Anyway, in response, he loses his cool. He beats up the comedian, terrorizes the rest of the audience, and throws a table out of a closed window. The table hits a police car, and two police officers are injured in the process! He was able to get in front of a judge quickly enough. Unfortunately, Dad's gonna be in an Italian jail for the rest of this month, and some of next. Mom thinks she and Uncle Osroes can convince the judge to reduce the sentence, but she doesn't think they can get him out any sooner than two weeks."

Shireen's jaw dropped after hearing the story. After getting herself together, she hugged Arslan and said, "I'm sorry, Ars."

Arslan hugged Shireen back and said, "I think I'll be okay."

* * *

A young girl who looked almost identical to Arslan entered the lobby. She looked to be around fifteen years old, and wore her white hair in a navy blue headband.

"Oh, hey, Layla," the doorman greeted the girl.

"Hi, Liam," the girl known as Layla said cheerfully. She adjusted the backpack she carried with her and headed towards the elevator.

"Going to see your brother?" Liam asked while flipping through the newspaper.

"Yup," Layla replied. She pressed the "UP" button and waited for the elevator to arrive. While waiting, she heard some unfamiliar voices behind her, and turned to see five people she didn't recognize-four boys and a girl-enter the lobby. What she found curious was that the boys were dressed in what she thought were full turtle costumes. Not only were they fully dressed like turtles, they also wore masks over their eyes, and carried weapons, which she hoped were fake.

The turtles, along with their friend, April O'Neil, were walking towards the elevator. They greeted Liam and continued their conversation.

"Are you sure we'll get along?" April asked.

"Trust me, April," said Raph. "We know these two. They're cool."

"Yeah, you'll be friends before you know it!" Mikey said excitedly.

"But what if they don't like me?" April asked.

"That's ridiculous," Donnie said and smiled. "How could anyone not like you? You're funny, smart, pretty-Did I say pretty? I meant...You're easy on the eyes, and..." He cleared his throat as soon as he, his brothers, and April reached the elevator. "Uh, is anyone else hot in here? Hehe..." They stood next to Layla and waited for the elevator.

Layla stared at April and the turtles. "You guys going up, too?"

"Yup-" Mikey said, then stopped and stared at Layla. "Ars?"

"Huh?" Layla asked, confused, wondering why one of the turtles called her by her brother's nickname.

"Mikey, that's not Arslan," Leo said.

Mikey took another look at Layla then looked back at Leo. "Are you sure?"

"Well, considering Ars sometimes wears his hair in a ponytail instead of a headband, this kid's obviously at least a foot taller than him, and I highly doubt Arslan would wear a pink T-shirt with a leaf on it, yes," said Leo. "Oh, also, she's a girl."

Mikey turned to Layla and asked, "You're a girl?!"

"Of course I am," said Layla. "You couldn't tell?"

"You look almost exactly like Ars," Mikey said.

"That's because he's my brother," said Layla. "And how do you know Ars?"

"We're Arslan's friends," Leo explained.

"Mikey didn't know she's a girl?" April whispered to Donnie.

"You know Mikey," Donnie whispered back. "He's a bit dim."

"Yeah, but still," April said.

Leo introduced himself and his brothers. "I'm Leonardo. These are my brothers, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo."

"You can call us Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey," said Raph.

"I didn't know Ars had a twin," Mikey said.

"He doesn't," said Layla. "I'm two years older than him. And he never told me he had turtles for friends."

"We actually just became friends with him and Shireen recently," Donnie said. "We're going up to see them, and introduce them to another friend of ours." He turned to April and introduced her to Layla. "This is April O'Neil. And we didn't get your name."

"My name's Layla," Layla replied. "Layla Harkness." She and the others noticed the elevator doors opening and got in. Once everyone was inside and the doors closed, Layla pushed the button for Arslan's floor. As the elevator ascended, Mikey could be heard humming "Hakuna Matata" from _The Lion King_.

"So," Donnie said. "I noticed you have a different last name than Arslan. Are you his half sister or something?"

"Correct," said Layla. "I'm from our mom's first marriage."

"How come we haven't met you before now?" Leo asked.

"I live with my dad most of the time," said Layla. "He lives in Northampton. Ars, Rena, and I chat via Skype most of the time, so we get to see each other a lot, even when I'm not able to visit."

"Oh. Makes sense," Leo commented.

"I really need to ask this," Layla said. "What's with the turtle costumes? The Mellarks aren't having another costume party until sometime next month. And please tell me those weapons are fake."

Mikey stopped humming and turned to Layla. "The weapons are real. And these aren't costumes. We're real mutant turtles. And we're ninjas. That's why we have real weapons."

 _"What?!"_ Layla asked with a disbelieving chuckle. She laughed some more, then stopped and looked around the elevator once she noticed nobody else was laughing. "He's not kidding, is he?" April and the other three turtles shook their heads "No". Layla's eyes widened, and she let out a deep breath. "Wow. That's a lot to take in. Well...My brother always did have a way with making friends with interesting characters. So, I can't say I'm all that surprised." She turned to April and asked, "You're not a mutant like in _X-Men_ , are you?"

"No, of course not," said April. "That would be impossible."

"Not necessarily," Donnie began to explain. "Theoretically speaking-"

"Uh, maybe later, Donnie," April interrupted the purple-masked turtle. "We're here." She gestured to the floor the elevator stopped on.

"Oh, right," said Donnie. He and the others exited the elevator and made their way down the hall. As they reached Arslan's apartment, they knocked on the door. They were greeted by Arslan and Shireen, whose countenances brightened upon seeing Layla and the turtles in the hall. They invited everyone in.

"Hey, guys, I'm glad you're here," Arslan said to the turtles. "I see you met my big sister." He turned to Layla and said, "It's great to see you, too, Layla."

Layla smiled and gave Arslan a hug. "Like I wasn't gonna visit my baby brother on his birthday?"

"It's great to see you, sis!" Shireen said and joined in the hug.

"It's great to see you, too, Rena," said Layla. She ruffled the little girl's hair and smiled warmly at her.

"Ars, today's your birthday?" Leo asked. "Why didn't you tell us when it was?"

Arslan chuckled and said, "Sorry. I guess I forgot. Brain fart."

"Well, happy birthday," said Leo.

"Oh, man," Mikey groaned. "And we didn't get you a present."

Shireen noticed April standing in the living room and asked, "Who's she?"

Leo started and said, "Oh! Right. Arslan, Shireen, this is our friend, April O'Neil. April, this is Arslan Baris and his little sister, Shireen."

"Nice to meet you, finally," April said. "And happy birthday. The turtles told me a lot about you."

"The turtles told me a lot about you, too," Arslan replied. "Donnie, especially." Nobody noticed Donnie blushing slightly.

"Really?" April asked.

"Yeah," Shireen said and laughed. "He went on and on about how pretty you are. About your hair, your eyes, your smile. I think he might be in-"

"Okay, Shireen, that's enough!" Donnie exclaimed nervously and turned the child to look at him. "Please don't tell April how I feel about her," he pleaded quietly. "It'll be embarrassing!"

"Oh," Shireen said and understood. "Okay, Donnie, I promise. I won't tell."

"Thank you," Donnie said with a sigh of relief.

Layla looked around the room, then asked, "Hey, Ars? Where are Mom and Andy? I thought they were supposed to be home by now." Arslan sighed sadly and told Layla, the turtles, and April what happened, why his parents weren't home on his birthday. After hearing the full story, Layla and the others felt terrible for Arslan. Mikey even looked like he wanted to cry.

"I am so sorry, Ars," Layla said and put an arm around her brother's shoulders. "What the heck was Andragoras thinking, that stupid idiot?"

"I guess he wasn't," Shireen said and pouted. "Stupid Dad."

"Come on, guys," Arslan said with a forced smile. "It'll be okay."

"But it's not okay," Layla firmly said. "Your dad's in jail, and because of that, he and Mom are missing your birthday. This is not okay. This'll be the third one in a row they've missed!"

 _'This isn't good,'_ Mikey thought. _'Ars can't have a good birthday if he's unhappy. Arslan's trying to hide it, but I can tell he's sad. There must be **something** we can do.'_ After racking his brain, Mikey thought, _'Wait, there is!'_ He turned to Arslan and said, "Hey, why don't you give Daryun a call and see what he's up to?"

"Great idea," Arslan said. He got up off the couch, got his hoodie and shoes on, picked up his Smartphone, and left the apartment.

"I stand by my opinion. This is _not_ okay!" Layla called after Arslan. After he was out of earshot, she closed the door and asked Mikey why he sent her brother out of the apartment.

"I figured out how we can help Ars!" Mikey replied excitedly.

"How?" Leo asked.

"We're gonna throw him an awesome birthday party!" said Mikey.

"That _is_ a great idea," Leo said after a short silence.

"I can't believe _Mikey_ actually came up with a good idea," Raph commented.

"Thanks," Mikey said proudly and grinned. His grin faded when he realized Raph was making fun of him. "Hey!"

"It is a cool plan, but where are we going to have the party?" April asked.

"We could have it at the Lair," said Donnie. "I'm sure Splinter wouldn't mind as long as we ask him first."

"I can make a run to the party store with Hermes, Farangis, and Gieve," Layla offered happily. "We could pick up the supplies to decorate."

"Good idea," said Leo. "Who else could we invite?"

"Obviously, we're inviting Elam and the others," said Raph.

"But we can't let Arslan know what's going on," said Layla. "So we're gonna need a distraction."

"Daryun can take him to the movies," Shireen suggested. "That'll give us time to get ready."

"I'll call Daryun right now, and tell him what's up," said Layla. She took out her Smartphone and tapped Daryun's number.

"We should head to the Lair and make sure it's okay with Splinter if we have the party there," said Leo.

"April, Layla, and I can call the other guests," Shireen said.

"Sounds good," said Leo. "We'll call you and let you know if we have permission to use the Lair."

"Sounds like a plan," said April.

"Ready? Break!" Mikey said. Everyone split up to complete their individual tasks.

* * *

The turtles left Arslan's apartment and sprinted to the elevator, just as Arslan was getting ready to use his cell. Mikey pretended to bump into him, causing him to drop the phone so he wouldn't call Daryun while Layla was calling him.

"Oops," Mikey said. "Sorry, Ars."

"Mikey, you need to be more careful!" Raph said in a mock scolding voice.

"It's okay, Raph," Arslan said after picking his phone back up and putting it back in his pocket. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"Master Splinter wants us home for training," Leo said. "So we need to hurry back ASAP."

"Oh, that's too bad," Arslan said.

"It's okay," said Donnie. "Your sisters are hanging out with April, and we can all do something later."

"Sounds great," Arslan replied as the elevator arrived. He and the turtles entered, and the doors closed. He pressed the button for the lobby. As the elevator descended, Mikey started humming "Master of the House" from _Les Miserables_.

"Stop it, or I'll smack the green off of you!" Raph yelled at Mikey.

"Sorry, Raph," Mikey said and stopped humming.

 _'But I like that song,'_ Arslan thought.

After the elevator arrived at the lobby, Arslan and the turtles stepped out of the open doors and walked out of the lobby. After exiting the building, Arslan and the turtles went their separate ways: Arslan on his way to Daryun's place, and the turtles on their way to the Lair.


	2. Chapter 2

Daryun was sitting in his living room, watching _World's Dumbest Motorheads_ on TV. He was ready to see who the number five dumbest motorhead was, when he heard his cell ring. He looked at the caller ID, then swiped right to answer the call.

"Layla," he said. "When did you get in?" After hearing Leila's explanation, he continued. "That's great! He'll be happy to see you. Oh, you're already there? How is Arslan?"

 _"He keeps saying he's good, but I, and everyone else here, know he's not,"_ Layla replied. _"It's all that stupid Andragoras' fault my baby brother's sad on his birthday. That idiot just had to go and get himself arrested."_

"Whoa, whoa," said Daryun. "Wait. Mr. and Mrs. Baris aren't back from Italy yet? I thought they were supposed to be back by today. And Andragoras got himself arrested? What the heck happened?"

Layla sighed, then began to explain what Arslan told her and the turtles. _"Mom and Andragoras were at this comedy club one night. Well, the comedian starts making jokes about guys like Andragoras, then goes on to making fun of him. I know it was probably mean of that guy, but still. Anyway, after hearing that, Andragoras flies into a rage— **totally** Andragoras, am I right?—and beats up the comedian. Then the man—if you can call **Andragoras Baris** a man—throws a table out of one of the windows, where the table lands on a police car! Two cops were injured when that happened! Luckily, Andragoras got in front of a judge quickly enough, but Mom and Osroes don't think they'll be able to get Andragoras' sentence reduced to any less than two weeks. So now he has to spend time in an Italian jail, on Arslan's thirteenth birthday! This'll be the third one in a freaking row they've missed! UGH! I'm so freaking—!"_ Daryun could hear April's voice in the background, telling Layla to calm down, that she was scaring Shireen. Layla took a couple deep breaths to compose herself and got back to the phone.

"Damn," Daryun muttered after hearing the story. "I can't believe that; how freaking stupid does Mr. Baris have to be? I'll tell you something: That guy needs anger management ASAP. He's forty-three years old, and he's doing this crap."

 _"I know, right?"_ Layla replied. _"I'm starting to wonder how my sweet baby brother and sister could've possibly come from that guy's gene pool."_

 _"Layla,"_ Shireen called to the teen on the phone. _"Aren't ya gonna tell Daryun about Ars coming over?"_

 _"Oh! Right! Thanks, Rena,"_ Layla said. She got back to Daryun and told him Arslan was on his way to his place as they spoke. _"Rena, April, the turtles, and I are gonna put together a kick-ass party for him. Maybe you could take him to a movie or something for a couple hours while we get the rest of the gang to help set up?"_

"Sure, no problem," said Daryun. "I'm always happy to help my little buddy. So, where's the party going to be?"

 _"If the turtles can get permission from their dad, then we're having it at their place,"_ Layla said. _"I'll let you know."_

"Cool," said Daryun. "Don't worry; you can count on me to keep Ars busy for a while."

 _"Thanks a bunch,"_ Layla said happily. _"I should be getting back to party planning. Later."_ She hung up, leaving Daryun just enough time to catch the number one dumbest motorhead, a guy from Sindhura by the name of Bahadur.

"Geez, that guy looks like an Orc," Daryun commented. "Good thing Arslan's not here yet; he'd surely have nightmares because of this guy." As soon as _World's Dumbest Motorheads_ ended, Daryun heard a knock at the door. He went to the door and answered, seeing Arslan standing outside. "Hey, Ars! What's up?"

"Hi, Daryun," Arslan replied. He stepped into Daryun's house after being invited in. "Just wanted to see if you could hang out for a bit."

"Of course," said Daryun. "Today's your birthday, right?"

"Yeah," Arslan said with an almost inaudible sigh. Daryun could see he didn't look too happy, though he was trying to force a smile. "Uh, so…What do you want to do? Watch _World's Dumbest_? Look at some of Narsus'—ahem— _art_?" Daryun winced at the mention of Narsus' artwork. "Or, maybe catch a movie?"

"How about we go see a movie?" Daryun said quickly. "If we hurry, we can still make it to _Guardians of the Galaxy_ on time."

"Awesome!" Arslan replied. After Daryun scribbled a note for his uncle Vahriz, explaining where he was and when he'd probably be back, both boys hurried out the door and to a nearby theater.

* * *

While Daryun was keeping Arslan busy with _Guardians of the Galaxy_ , the turtles made it to the Lair. They were on the way to the dojo. Mikey voiced that he hoped Splinter said yes to them having Arslan's birthday party there. When they got to the dojo, after greeting Splinter, they explained their situation to him, and asked him if they could have their friend's birthday party at their home. After some meditation, Splinter finally agreed to let the turtles bring Arslan, Shireen, and their friends down to the Lair. The turtles rejoiced in their victory.

"Awesome!" Mikey exclaimed when he and his brothers were outside the dojo. He got out his tPhone and made a call to Layla, saying that they would be allowed to use the Lair for Arslan's party. A very happy Layla thanked Mikey and asked him and his brothers to meet her and the others—besides April and Shireen, Hermes and the others were already at the Baris' apartment—in the lobby, for they had a lot of party supplies on their hands and needed help getting to the Lair so they could set up. Mikey said he and his brothers would be over very soon and hung up. He turned to his brothers and told them what Layla said.

"Okay, guys. Layla and the others need our help in getting the party supplies here. We've gotta go meet them in the lobby at Ars' building."

"Okay," said Leo. "Turtles, move out!" He and his brothers told Splinter they'd be back later, then rushed to get to Ecbatana Apartments, where Layla and the others were waiting.

* * *

Meanwhile, Layla hurriedly texted Daryun about where the party was going to be, and to keep Arslan at the movies for a double feature if he had to, depending on how long it took to get the stuff set up.

A few minutes later, the turtles arrived at the apartment building, where they met up with Leila and the others.

"Hey, Elam, Narsus, good to see you guys!" Donnie said and grinned.

"Hermes, Xandes, didn't miss _you_ much," Raph said to the pranksters in an annoyed manner.

"That hurts, Raphael," said Xandes. "And to think I took the time to buy you peanut brittle before we got here." He held a can of peanut brittle out to the red-masked turtle.

Raph shrugged and took the can. "Well, okay, thanks, I guess." He opened it and screamed after fake snakes came flying out at him. He shot a death glare at a now laughing Hermes and Xandes.

"You were right, Hermes!" Xandes gasped while doubled over. "That was a good one!"

"Kill...you...guys!" Raph said through gritted teeth.

"Gieve, Farangis!" Mikey said to Arslan's other two friends. Good to see you. So, are you two dating yet?"

"Yes," Gieve replied and put his arm around Farangis.

"No!" Farangis said at the same time, removing Gieve's arm from her shoulders. Gieve pouted and plopped down in one of the lobby chairs.

"No, they're not dating, Mikey," Estelle said. "But that doesn't stop Gieve from trying."

"Oh, that's too bad," said Mikey. "They look like they might make a cute couple."

After greeting everyone they knew, the turtles noticed three boys around Arslan's age standing in the lobby.

"Leo, those three are staring at us," Mikey whispered to his eldest brother.

"Well, we do look kind of strange," said Leo.

"Yeah, especially Donnie," Mikey said and snickered. "He's missing a front tooth!"

"Quit it, Mikey!" said Donnie.

Layla noticed the three boys staring at the turtles and cleared her throat. "Guys, don't be rude. Introduce yourselves."

"Oh, right," one of the boys said. He had brown hair and brown eyes. His bangs hung in front of his forehead. "Hi, I'm Jericho. These two knuckleheads are Soren and Musa." The two other boys-one had lighter brown hair and slanted eyes, and the other had a slight tan, brown eyes, and wore a hat like Kyle's from _South Park_ -said, "Hey!" Jericho continued, "We're Arslan's friends."

"Nice to meet you guys," said Leo. "I'm Leo. These three are my brothers, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey."

"Ars never told us he had four friends who dressed up in turtle costumes," Soren commented.

"Soren, we told you, Musa, and Jericho three times already," Alfreed said. "They're not cosplayers. They're real mutant turtles."

"Whaaaaaat?!" the boys exclaimed. Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped.

"Are we gonna stand here and gawk all day, or are we gonna get ready for the party?" Raph asked.

"Right," said Layla. "We should go. Come on, everyone. Turtles, show us the way."

"Right," said Leo. He, April, and his brothers led Layla and the others out of the lobby and down the streets of New York.

Donnie turned to face the other kids. "Oh, before I forget. For anyone who has a rodent problem: Our sensei isn't really...like us."

"Sensei?" Musa asked, confused. "I thought we were going to meet these guys' dad."

"Their sensei _is_ their dad," Estelle explained. "They call him that because he's also their teacher."

"And what's this about a rodent problem?" Jericho asked. "Isn't your sensei a turtle like you?"

"No," said Donnie. "He's...well, he's..."

"He's a rat!" said Mikey.

"A rat?" Soren said. "What, did your dad marry a turtle and-"

"No," said Leo. "Our sensei adopted us after we all mutated when we were babies. It's a long story. Why don't we tell you another time?" With that conversation finished, the friends headed to the turtles' home. Arslan's friends and sisters were initially a tiny bit grossed out about having to trek through the sewers in order to get to the turtles' home, but they went along anyway.

* * *

Once everybody got to the Lair, the kids were impressed with what they saw. The turtles' home looked to be an old train station, and furnished to look almost like any other apartment or house one would see in New York City.

"Excuse some of the mess," said Leo. "We don't have too many visitors, other than April."

"Hey, no sweat," said Musa. "It doesn't look any worse than Soren's bedroom."

"Hey!" Soren exclaimed, glaring at Musa from underneath his hat.

Raph chuckled and said, "His room can't be worse than Mikey's."

"Hey! Raph!" Mikey whined.

"Hey, sweet! Pinball!" Jericho said after spotting a pinball machine in one part of the room. He started to go towards the game, until Estelle stopped him.

"Hold it, Jericho," Estelle said. "We need to set up Arslan's party first. You can play pinball afterwards."

"Oh, right," Jericho replied and laughed a little. "Sorry about that."

After everyone started getting out the party supplies, Splinter came out of the dojo. He saw April, the turtles, and his sons' other friends. "So, these are your new friends. It's nice to meet all of you. I am Splinter." He listened as everyone else introduced themselves, then said, "You may set up the party here, as long as you keep it in the living area."

"Hai, Sensei," the turtles replied and bowed politely. Soon after, the turtles and their friends started decorating the Lair for the party.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The three boys (Jericho, Soren, and Musa) are the kids from the _Arslan Senki_ pilot episode, the ones who fought with Ars in Atropatene in episode 2. I gave them names because they're going to be in more _X-Over Adventures in NYC_ stories.


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone was making excellent progress in setting up for the party. Of course, some of the kids had to take supplies from Mikey, because the youngest turtle kept on playing with said supplies.

"Check it out, dudes!" Mikey exclaimed giddily while waving a blue streamer around. "Streamers! Booyakasha!" He spun around while still spinning the streamer. "Wanna see me do a trick?"

"No!" Raph said firmly and took the streamer from Mikey and gave it to Leo. "We need these to decorate for Ars' party."

"Hey, what do we have here?" Mikey asked and went up to a tank. He reached out to turn it on, until Donnie stopped him. "Donnie! What gives?"

"This tank is full of helium, Mikey," Donnie replied. "It makes balloons float."

Mikey gulped and asked, "Is that stuff poisonous? It sounds poisonous."

"No," said Donnie. "All it does, if you inhale it, is make your voice really high temporarily."

"Sweet!" Mikey said with a grin and made a grab for the knob of the tank. "Let me try! I wanna know what I sound like with my voice higher!"

Leo, after putting up the streamers, rushed over to Mikey. "Mikey, stop that!" He grabbed a pouting Mikey's arm and pulled him away from the helium. "We need to focus. This is Ars' birthday party, and we need to make sure it's good."

"Lighten up, dudes," Mikey said to his brothers. "We've got a lot of this stuff." He went back to digging through the supplies and found another box. "What are these?"

"Oh, those are party poppers," Alfreed replied. "They make a lot of noise, which is why they're ideal for when we shout 'Surprise'."

"Cool!" Mikey exclaimed and showed the party popper to April, who was getting some streamers out of the box. The popper went off right near her ear, causing her to scream in pain. This got everyone's attention. The group rushed over to her side.

Donnie glared at Mikey and asked, "What's wrong with you?!" He shifted his attention back to his crush and started to comfort her.

"Michelangelo!" Splinter said and gave Mikey a stern look. "I will not have you setting off explosives in your friend's ear!"

"I didn't mean to!" a panicked Mikey said. "I'm sorry!"

"This is why we don't want you messing with the supplies!" Leo said.

"Are you okay, April?" Donnie asked gently.

"What?" April asked loudly.

"I asked if your were okay," said Donnie.

"Donnie, are you playing a joke on me?" April asked. "Because moving your lips and not making a sound isn't funny. I'd expect something like that from Hermes."

"Hey!" an insulted Hermes said.

"What are you talking about?" Donnie asked. "Can't you hear me?"

"There you go again, Donnie!" said April.

"Is she deaf or something?" Raph asked Leo and Splinter.

"Only one way to find out," said Leo. He went into the kitchen area, came back with a frying pan and a spoon. He snuck up quietly behind April and started banging the frying pan. The noise was quite loud and made most of the others cringe. However, April was a different story. She didn't react at all. It was as if she couldn't hear the banging at all.

"Oh, no," Donnie muttered.

"Oh, geez!" said Mikey. He turned towards Donnie and said, "Donnie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to deafen your future bride for life!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Donnie exclaimed. "First of all we're not dating! So let's not even _talk_ about engagements or weddings!"

"She doesn't even know he likes her," Leo muttered to Raph.

"How dense is she?" Raph muttered back. "I could see those signs all the way from Tokyo."

"And second of all," Donnie told Mikey. "I'm sure it's only temporary. I highly doubt she'll never hear again."

While all this was going on, Jericho, Soren, and Musa decided to try and prank April. Donnie had brought April over to the couch to sit her down and explain what had just happened to her. Jericho put a whoopee cushion on her seat, and he, Soren, and Musa quietly laughed as they heard the cushion go off after April sat down. Donnie, after hearing April's "fart", stood her up and found the whoopee cushion. He picked it up and scanned the room, looking for the culprit.

"Alright," Donnie called amidst the commotion. "Who did this?" He held the whoopee cushion high. "Who did this? Hermes, Xandes, did one of you pull this?" Seeing as he wasn't going to get an answer any time soon, he sighed in exasperation, threw the whoopee cushion aside, and sat back down with April.

Jericho, Soren, and Musa laughed some more, earning a stern look from Farangis. They immediately stopped laughing.

"You three should be ashamed of yourselves," Farangis told the boys. "Did you learn this from Hermes?"

"You know, just because I play some pranks doesn't mean I'm involved with _every_ prank!" Hermes said. "The Idiot Trio did that on their own. My pranks are more imaginative."

"Yes, we're all aware, O Great God of Pranks," Shireen said with a mix of sarcasm and annoyance.

Meanwhile, back on the couch, Donnie was scribbling something on a notepad. April was impatiently waiting for Donnie to finish what he was doing. "Donnie, will you stop scribbling and tell me what's going on?"

When Donnie was finally done, he held up the notepad to April for her to read. It read, **_'April, Mikey played with a party popper near your ear, and the noise temporarily damaged your hearing. It should come back in a couple hours. In the meantime, we may have to use notes to communicate.'_**

After reading April sighed and put the notepad down. "Well, this is perfect. I meet a friend of yours, we get along, I get invited to his birthday party, and now I'm deaf. All in the same day. And it's all thanks to Mikey. How can this get any worse?"

"I'm sorry," Donnie said, but then remembered April couldn't hear her. He then took the notepad and wrote down what he wanted to say.

April read the note, which read, _ **'I'm sorry, April, but it's like I said: It's only temporary. It'll wear off. I'm pretty sure you'll be okay in time for the party. And Mikey's really sorry about what he did, and would like to make it up to you.'**_

After everyone calmed down, Donnie and April went back over to the group. April went over to Mikey and said, "It's okay, Mikey. I know you didn't mean it. I accept your apology." Mikey smiled in thanks.

"Okay, now that everything's calmed down, how about we go back to decorating for the party?" Estelle asked. "I want it to be good."

"You hear her, guys," Layla said happily. "Come on, back to work." With that, she and everyone else got back to decorating.

* * *

After almost half an hour, everything was set up. Balloons were filled, streamers were up, and there was food on a table. This included a punch Elam made. All that was missing was the banner, which Leo tasked Donnie with putting up, since Donnie was the tallest. Hermes and Xandes, meanwhile, were setting up something of their own. Hermes had left a skateboard on the floor, where anybody could slip on it. He and Xandes snickered and gave each other a high five.

Alfreed came along and saw what they were doing. She shook her head and said, "Please tell me this isn't one of your ridiculous pranks."

"Ridiculous?" Xandes scoffed.

"Why, my dear Alfreed," Hermes said in a mock-offended tone. "I'll have you know my pranks are, in no way whatsoever, ridiculous. They're actually quite clever."

"Come on, guys," Alfreed groaned. "Seriously, can't you stop your pranks for just the party?"

Hermes and Xandes gasped in fake terror.

 _"Stop pranking?!"_ Hermes said. "Do you hear yourself? You want _me_ , Hermes Zachary Baris, to stop pranking for _one day_?!"

"That's practically a death sentence!" Xandes exclaimed.

Alfreed rolled her eyes and asked, "Don't you guys think you're being a little overdramatic?"

"I don't know, Alfreed," Gieve said. "I think these two could actually die if they cease their pranks for one day."

"Buzz off, Gieve," Alfreed said in annoyance. She walked away from the teenage trio and helped set up the presents.

Raph walked by and saw the skateboard on the floor. He looked from the skateboard, then to Hermes and Xandes talking with Gieve. He went up to Alfreed and asked, "What kind of prank are these geniuses trying to pull?"

"No idea," Alfreed replied.

"And we'll never tell," Hermes and Xandes said with childish grins.

"Well, guess what?" Raph said. "It's not gonna happen, 'cause this is going back in the closet." He picked the skateboard up and walked away with it.

"Tough luck, Loki twins," Alfreed said and smirked, then walked away after finishing up with the presents.

Hermes and Xandes chuckled. Gieve tilted his head in confusion and asked, "What's that chuckling about?"

"Oh, nothing," Hermes lied. "Just somebody's gonna be in for a surprise." Gieve just shrugged and walked away. After Gieve was out of their line of vision, Hermes took out a container of floor wax.

"So, where did you spread that stuff?" Xandes asked.

"Oh, just along the path of the step ladder, leading towards the buffet table," Hermes replied. He and Xandes went to sit on the couch to watch the prank unfold.

"How's this, Leo?" Donnie called from the step ladder. He was holding the banner.

"Perfect," Leo said. "Just hook it up right there and come down."

"Okay," said Donnie. He hooked the banner and started climbing down. However, as soon as his foot touched the floor, he found it hard to stand, as the floor was unusually slippery. "Oh, Kami!" He slipped and fell on his face. "Ow! Son of a-What the shell?!" He tried to get back up, but had a tricky time maintaining his balance. "Guys, what's wrong with the floor?!"

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked. "The floor's fine."

"Then why am I slipping?!" Donnie asked. "Whoa!" He almost fell on his face again and grabbed onto the step ladder, catching himself from falling.

"Just get off that spot, Donnie!" Raph called.

"Easy for you to say," said Donnie. He tried to walk away, but slipped again, and slid towards the buffet table.

April had now regained her hearing and jumped at the sound of Donnie's screaming. "Look out!" she screamed when she saw where Donnie was headed.

Donnie slammed into the buffet table, spilling two bowls of chips and the punch bowl. He sat on the floor, the now empty punch bowl on his head, the contents of said bowl covering him.

"Donnie!" Mikey and Shireen exclaimed. They rushed over to him and helped him up.

"Holy cow!" Raph said and rushed over to Donnie as well. "Donnie, are you all right?!"

"What the heck happened?" Donnie asked dazedly.

"What the-?" Jericho asked after he, Soren, and Musa rushed over as well.

"What happened?" a shocked Elam asked after seeing Donnie still regaining his balance, covered in punch. "Are you okay, Donnie?"

"What in the name of-?!" Estelle exclaimed.

"What is going on in here?" Splinter asked loudly, causing everyone to stop panicking and turn towards him. "I was in a deep meditative trance, when-" He stopped when he saw three of his sons and their friends helping Donnie up. "What happened here?"

"Donnie slipped and slid right into the buffet table somehow," Leo explained.

Gieve felt the shiny surface near the ladder. "Hey, there's wax on the floor."

"Huh? Wax?" Layla asked. "Who would-?" She stopped when she heard laughing coming from the couch. She swiftly turned and saw that the laughter came from Hermes and Xandes. She glared at the duo. "Did you two do this?" Hermes and Xandes shrunk under her glare.

"Um...what do you want to hear?" Xandes asked uneasily.

"Did you two do this?!" Layla repeated.

"Uh...okay, we did," Hermes replied. He quickly continued, "But ya gotta admit, it's pretty funny seeing him covered in punch and chips! Ha-ha!"

"Then how come nobody else is laughing?" an angry Narsus asked.

"Yeah, that wasn't funny!" Leo agreed. "You could've seriously hurt Donnie!"

"You're lucky he's just dizzy, and a little bruised!" Farangis said.

"Not to mention messy," said Mikey.

"Hermes, Xandes, why did ya have to do that?" Shireen asked.

"Oh, come on, it was funny," Hermes said and laughed. He and Xandes stopped laughing when they saw the still unamused expressions of the other kids.

"Donnie didn't think so," said April. "Neither did the rest of us, for that matter."

"Come on, Donnie, let's get you cleaned up," said Leo. He helped Donnie towards the bathroom.

"You two!" Splinter said to Hermes and Xandes. "Kitchen, now!" The duo followed him to the kitchen area. "I just want the both of you to know how furious I am with your actions just now! It was bad enough when Michelangelo temporarily deafened April, but at least what he did was an accident, and he apologized. What you two did was on purpose! Worst of all, neither of you seems to care that Donatello could have turned out worse than he did! I think you deserve to be punished!"

Xandes gulped. "Punished...how?"

"You can't ban us from the party," Hermes said. "It's my cousin's party, and he'd be sad if I wasn't here."

"I think I've got an appropriate punishment," a voice from behind them said. Hermes, Xandes, and Splinter turned to see Raph leaning against the entry to the kitchen. Hermes and Xandes couldn't help but notice an evil grin on Raph's face.

"Very well then, Raphael," Splinter said and nodded in approval. "I will leave their punishment to you." He left the kitchen, leaving Hermes and Xandes alone with Raph.

Raph continued grinning and laughed evilly. "Oh, yeah, this'll be great."

Xandes gulped again and turned to his friend. "Hermes...I don't like the way he's laughing...or looking at us."

"Neither do I," Hermes said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Arslan and Daryun were still at the theater, watching _Guardians of the Galaxy_. Arslan, much to Daryun's pleasure, was having a great time; since entering the theater, the boy's mood had changed from sad to happy. Inside, Daryun still fumed about the idiotic thing Andragoras did to get himself arrested, causing him and Tahamine to miss their son's birthday.

 _'Stupid Andragoras,'_ Daryun thought as Arslan's jaw dropped after Star Lord found out Drax had called Ronan the Accuser to their location. The brunette looked at the screen and said to himself, "This guy's almost as dumb as Andy."

"Drax, you idiot!" Arslan whispered. He turned to Daryun and thanked him for taking him to see the movie.

"No problem, Ars," Daryun replied and smiled. He took his phone out of his jacket pocket when he felt it vibrate. He saw he had gotten a text from Farangis. It read: _ **'There's a slight problem here. Mind stalling Arslan a little longer, while we rectify the situation? I'll let you know when we're ready.'**_

Daryun texted back: _**'Sure, no problem.'**_ He put his phone back in his pocket, wondering what happened. _'Maybe Hermes and Xandes pulled another prank.'_ He then went back to enjoying the movie, trying to see what he could do to keep Arslan occupied until further notice.


	4. Chapter 4

After _Guardians of the Galaxy_ , Daryun and Arslan were back in the lobby of the theater. Daryun was looking at posters of other movies being advertised.

"Hey, Ars, is there another movie you'd like to see?" Daryun asked.

"Are you sure? We did just see _Guardians of the Galaxy_ ," Arslan pointed out.

"I know," Daryun replied. "But it's your birthday, and I think that earns you two movies."

Arslan smiled and said, "Okay." He looked around and excitedly pointed to a poster. "How about this one? Shapur's brother's in it." The poster featured a young brunette guy wearing a fedora, looking like he was on some sort of adventure. The title read _Arizona Strife and The Great Escape_.

Daryun nodded approvingly at his friend's choice. "Great choice." He took out his wallet, pulled out a twenty dollar bill, and handed it to Arslan. "Here, why don't you go get us some snacks and drinks? I'll get us tickets."

"Thanks, Daryun," Arslan said happily, and went off to the snack counter.

While he was waiting in line to buy tickets for the _Arizona Strife_ movie, he took out his phone and texted Farangis: _**Ars picked out another movie. This should buy you guys a couple more hours.**_ After finally buying the tickets, Daryun went back inside, joining Arslan for _Arizona Strife_.

* * *

While Arslan and Daryun were just sitting down for the movie, everyone else was back at the Lair, still fixing everything Hermes and Xandes messed up. Elam and Alfreed were out buying groceries, while April and Farangis were out running another errand. While most everyone was cleaning up, Splinter was tending to an injured Donnie, occasionally shooting death glares at the two miscreants.

Jericho, Soren, and Musa had just gotten done cleaning up around the table, and had replaced the tablecloth. After their task was complete, all three of them shot glares in Hermes and Xandes' direction. The pranksters were just standing by the dojo entrance, shuffling their feet.

"Y'know, you two could help out with fixing this mess!" Jericho said. He, Musa, and Soren shook their heads in exasperation and walked away to help with something else.

Xandes turned to Hermes and nervously asked, "What do you think Raph has in mind for us?"

Hermes gulped and said, "I dunno, Xandes. But from the evil look on his face back in the kitchen, it doesn't sound good."

Mikey came up to them and chuckled like Pennywise the Dancing Clown, Leo at his side. "Oh, it's _not_ good. Not at all. Not for you, anyway."

"So...I take it you know what he's got in mind for us?" Hermes asked.

"Oooh, yes we do," Leo said, a dark chuckle emitting from his throat. "Raph told us everything he has in mind."

"You sound like Jafar from _Aladdin_ ," Shireen said to her blue-masked buddy.

"I do not," Leo protested.

"Take it as a compliment, Leo," Donnie said to his brother. He was now up and about.

"You're doing better, D?" Mikey asked.

"Yup," said Donnie. "Just in time for the party, too. I can help set up if you like."

"That'd be great!" said Mikey.

As Donnie was getting ready to help everyone put everything back in order, he asked Leo and Mikey, "Hey, can you guys fill me in on what Raph has in mind for those two chuckleheads?" He gestured toward Hermes and Xandes.

"Well, since you asked..." Leo said. He was about to tell Donnie what their hotheaded brother had in mind, he caught the prankster duo trying to eavesdrop. He kicked the both of them right through the dojo screen, to which Splinter just sighed and shook his head. Then the eldest turtle leaned forward and whispered to Donnie what Raph's plan for Hermes and Xandes was.

Donnie couldn't help but laugh after hearing what Raph's plan was. "What?! Wow, that's gonna be great! But do you think Ars will like it? I mean, this is his birthday, after all."

"Of course he'll like it," Mikey said cheerfully. "Actually, our little buddy will _love_ it!"

Hermes and Xandes stepped out of the dojo, brushing themselves off. They heard Donnie's laugh and became alarmed.

"Oh my God!" Xandes exclaimed and turned to Hermes. "He's going to have us do something embarrassing!"

Hermes saw Raph emerge from the laundry room and asked, "Hey, you're going to have us do something embarrassing, aren't you?!"

Raph smirked and said, "Embarrassing for _you_."

"Wait a minute..." Hermes said. "It's the hula dance from _The Lion King_ , isn't it? You're gonna make us do the hula!"

"You wish," Raph replied.

"Actually, that wouldn't be very funny," said Donnie, trembling. "That would be disturbing."

"Yeah, and Arslan would have nightmares," said Mikey.

"Good," Xandes said with a sigh of relief, then became worried. "So, what are you gonna have us do?"

"Oh, you"ll see," said Raph. "You'll see, alright." Hermes and Xandes gulped at that final sentence.

At that moment, Elam and Alfreed finally returned with the food.

"Well, we're back," Alfreed said.

"Thanks, guys, for getting everything cleaned up," Elam said after he and Alfreed surveyed the Lair. The both of them put the bags of groceries down on the kitchen counter, and started unloading.

Hermes and Xandes rushed over to Elam and Alfreed, nearly knocking them over and spilling the food.

"Guys!" Hermes said frantically. "Guys, please help us!"

"Raph is crazy!" Xandes put in. " _All_ the turtles are crazy!"

"The turtles are crazy?" Alfreed asked, one eyebrow raised as she helped Elam make punch. "Enlighten us, amigos. How, exactly, are the Turtles crazy?"

"They want to make us do something embarrassing!" Xandes exclaimed. "Please, make them see reason!"

"Sorry, guys, but whatever the Turtles have in mind, you brought on yourselves," Elam said while he and Alfreed finished the punch and made snacks. Hermes and Xandes walked away in disappointment.

Alfreed noticed Donnie was now off the couch, helping get the Lair together for the party. "Hey, Donnie, you look like you're doing much better."

"I am, thanks," Donnie said while putting the banner back up. Estelle and Leo were holding the ladder steady.

Estelle noticed Hermes and Xandes sulking on the couch in front of the TV and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you two. You can help as part of your atonement, maybe lessening your future predicament. Or you can continue sitting there, feeling sorry for yourselves. Or maybe we _should_ ban you from the party."

Hermes and Xandes jumped up off the couch, shaking at Estelle's words.

"No, not banishment!" Hermes said. "Anything but that! We'll help, okay?!" He and Xandes rushed to help with another task.

Xandes saw that Gieve and Splinter were painting what looked like scenery. "What's that for?"

"Just a little something for the party," Splinter replied.

"When it's done, it's gonna look awesome!" Gieve said with a grin. "Thanks to Gieve the Great's amazing artistic skills." This last sentence earned the musician an eye roll from Splinter, who never rolled his eyes in his life.

"I still say _I_ should've been in charge of the scenery," Narsus said. "After all, I'm a _professional_ artist."

"Shut up and help Elam and Alfreed with the snacks," Gieve said. Narsus stuck his tongue out and walked away.

"Splinter," Hermes said to the ninja rat. "I need to ask you something. Why are you enabling your sons' behavior towards me and Xandes? Haven't we atoned enough? I mean, you're their dad. Why didn't you set some boundaries, for crying out loud?"

"I did," Splinter replied calmly as he continued painting. "I told them they were not to maim you."

"But they're gonna make us do something embarrassing!" Xandes whined.

Splinter smiled and put down his brush. He looked Hermes and Xandes in the eye. " _That_ I will allow them to do. You brought it on yourselves." He picked up his brush and went back to finishing the scenery.

"Make way, props coming through!" Mikey announced and pushed Hermes and Xandes aside. He showed his father a cardboard box and asked, "Where should I put these, Sensei?"

"Give them to Raphael," Splinter replied and directed Mikey to where Raph was.

"'Kay," Mikey said excitedly and went to give the box to Raph.

Some time later, April and Farangis returned from their errand. Everyone took notice of the shopping bags in their hands.

April, like everybody else, noticed that Donnie was no longer lying on the couch. "Donnie, you're okay. Thank goodness."

"Yeah," Donnie agreed. "Glad to be on my feet again."

Raph went up to the girls and asked, "Did you get what I asked for?"

"Yes," Farangis said. She and April handed Raph three bags. "And it wasn't as hard as I initially thought to find that particular costume in your size."

Raph took a peek inside one of the bags and smiled. "Awesome! Thanks a million!"

"It was no problem at all," said April.

"Hey," Hermes said suspiciously. "What's in those bags?"

Raph grinned and handed the bags to Hermes and Xandes. "Here. This one's for you, and this one's for Xandes. These are what you'll be wearing."

Hermes and Xandes looked into their bags, and their jaws dropped in horror.

"Oh, no!" Xandes said and shook his head. "No, no, no, no, _no_! I am not wearing that!"

"And I'm not wearing mine!" Hermes agreed.

"Yes, you will," Estelle said, glaring daggers at the teens.

"Or else we'll ban you from the party faster than Ars can cut the cake!" Layla hissed.

Hermes and Xandes noticed the anger emitting from the two girls, and were visibly shaken.

"Okay, okay, we'll wear those stupid things!" Hermes said.

"But not yet," said Raph. He took the bags from the two pranksters and walked to another part of the Lair. "These will be saved for something else later."

After calming down, Layla surveyed the Lair and was satisfied at the job done. "Okay, since it looks like everything is set up, I'll let Daryun know." She got out her phone and sent Daryun a text.

 _ **It's Layla. Everything is ready now. Get Ars and head down to the Turtles' place. I'll give you directions.**_


	5. Chapter 5

Daryun and Arslan had just climbed down a manhole and headed for the sewers, using the directions Layla had given them. While Arslan held his shirt over his nose and mouth, Daryun turned on his phone's built-in flashlight.

"Daryun," Arslan said while he and Daryun navigated their way through the sewers, his voice slightly muffled by his shirt. "What are we doing down here? It smells like rotten eggs."

"I know," said Daryun. "But, according to Layla, your surprise is somewhere down here."

"Oh. Okay," Arslan said. _'Why would Layla have a surprise down in the sewers, anyway?'_ he thought.

Minutes later, Daryun saw a light up ahead, and realized he and Arslan were nearing their destination. He then sent a text to Layla, telling her to tell everyone to hide. He and Arslan also noticed that the rotten egg smell wasn't as strong in this part; in fact, the smell was pretty much nonexistent.

* * *

Layla, Shireen, the Turtles, and the other party guests were sitting in the living room, watching a cartoon called _Nightwatcher_.

"It's amazing how accurate the cartoon is to the comics," Raph comnented.

"It's not accidental," Alfreed said. "The comic creator had a hand in cresting this. In fact, he also approved any changes made."

"That's so cool!" said Mikey.

"I think I remember hearing something similar in regards to the _How to Train Your Dragon_ movie," April added. "The books are vastly different from the movie. Actually, the movie is an adaptation in name only; the only things shared on both media were the characters' names, and maybe personality traits."

"I read all those books," said Narsus. "If it had not just been an in-name-only adaptation, it would've flopped."

"True that," Mikey agreed with the slop artist.

While Layla was checking her phone, Elam turned towards Hermes and Xandes and gestured to the TV. "Are you two getting all this? Because you're going to have to portray these characters accurately."

Hermes groaned and said, "Come on, be reasonable!"

"We already said we were sorry," Xandes said. "Don't make us do this; we'll look like clowns!"

Farangis glared at the prankster duo and replied, "Hey, you brought your punishment on yourselves, you jerks."

"Please, have mercy!" Hermes pleaded desperately.

"No time to talk," Layla said and turned the TV off. "Ars and Daryun are almost here. Come on, hide!"

"Right!" everyone else said, and, after turning off all the lights, joined Layla in hiding.

* * *

A few minutes later, Arslan and Daryun arrived at the now darkened Lair.

 _'Good,'_ Daryun thought while making sure Arslan didn't hurt himself while stepping into the Lair. _'Everyone's hidden.'_

"Daryun, what's going on?" Arslan asked.

"You'll see," Daryun said.

Just then, the lights came on, and everybody jumped out of their hiding places, setting off party poppers.

"Surprise!" the other kids exclaimed cheerfully. "Happy birthday, Ars!"

Arslan looked around the Lair, astonished by what he took in: a bunch of streamers, and decorations, along with a "Happy 13th Birthday!" sign hanging up. He also noticed a couple of tables near the kitchen. One table had the snacks that Elam and Alfreed prepared, and the other was laden with presents.

"Wow," Arslan said happily. He smiled at his friends and sisters. "You guys did all this for _me_?"

"Of course, Ars," Leo replied. "You're our friend, and we wanted you to have a happy birthday, even though your parents couldn't be here."

"Because of Dad," Shireen whispered to Layla, who nodded in agreement.

"Wanna play some games?" Mikey asked excitedly. "We've got Twister, Pin the Tail on the Donkey, and many others."

"I tried putting Spin the Bottle on the list of games, but everybody shouted me down," Gieve said.

"That's because this is Ars' birthday party," Farangis said firmly. "And if you bring it up again, I'll change it to Spin Gieve and Hit Him With a Bottle!"

"How about adding, 'And Hold Him Upside Down, And Dump Soda and Cheez-Its on Him'?" Soren added. He, Jericho, and Musa laughed until their sides hurt.

"Oh, hardy har har!" Gieve said sarcastically.

After playing some games, it was time for cake and presents. After blowing out the candles, Arslan happily cut the chocolate cake set before him, and after everyone had their pieces, the birthday boy opened his presents.

* * *

Some time later, Arslan and the others were treated to a small play based on the _Nightwatcher_ cartoon, starring Raph as Nightwatcher, and Hermes and Xandes as two of Nightwatcher's archenemies, The Prankster and The Enigma. The play was a hit, and Arslan especially had a great time watching the performance, being that Nightwatcher was his favorite superhero. At one point, everybody got a good laugh out of Hermes and Xandes tripping over each other, knocking the scenery over, which greatly annoyed Raph, to the point that he grabbed the prankster duo and clonked their heads together.

* * *

After the _Nightwatcher_ play ended, Raph and his brothers put the scenery and costumes away. Arslan was gathering his presents and talking with his friends.

"Hey, Estelle," Arslan said. "I've been meaning to ask: How did you guys come up with that play? It was awesome."

"It was Hermes and Xandes' punishment for going too far with one of their pranks," Estelle replied. "Said prank resulted in an injury."

"Whoa," Arslan said with surprise.

"Yeah," said Estelle.

"Also, we remembered that Nightwatcher is your favorite superhero," Elam said.

"So we came up with the idea of doing a Nightwatcher play, and decided to incorporate Hermes and Xandes' punishment into it," said Musa.

"That was very clever," Arslan said.

"Thanks!" said Raph.

"I hope you're happy, Ars," Hermes said and glared at his cousin. "Because I'm embarrassed!"

"I am happy, Hermes," Arslan said and smiled at the grumpy teen, then gave him a hug. "Thank you." Hermes' glare disappeared, and he returned Arslan's embrace.

A little later, it was starting to get late, so Arslan and the other kids had to get ready to go home. Before leaving the Lair, Arslan gave all his friends, the Turtles included, some of the leftover cake, and thanked them all for the party. Afterwards, everybody said their goodbyes and parted ways for the night.

* * *

Back on the surface, Arslan, his sisters, and Daryun were walking home, presents in tow.

"So, did you enjoy the party?" Layla asked her little brother.

"I did," Arslan replied happily, and smiled. "It was probably the greatest birthday party I've had so far."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, bro," Layla said and patted Arslan on the head. "Actually, the party was Mikey's idea."

Arslan smiled and said, "I'll have to ask him to plan my birthday party next year, too."

Some time later, Daryun and the Baris kids arrived at Ecbatana Apartments, then headed up to the Baris' floor. After putting their portion of leftover cake away, and Arslan put his presents in a safe place, he went to bed happier than he had been that morning. Before drifting off to sleep, he made a mental note to find out when the Turtles' birthday was.


End file.
